Title 49—Transportation--Volume 1
PART 1310—TARIFF REQUIREMENTS FOR HOUSEHOLD GOODS CARRIERS
§ 1310.1   Scope; definitions.
(a) The provisions of this part address the tariff requirements imposed by 49 U.S.C. 13702 on motor carriers and freight forwarders for the transportation of household goods, and the notice requirements with which such carriers must comply in order to be entitled to enforce the provisions of their tariffs against individuals whose shipments are subject to such tariffs.
(b) The provisions of this part apply to all movements of household goods defined in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, and to those movements of household goods defined in paragraph (c)(2) of this section that are not provided under contracts entered into pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 14101(b) or former 49 U.S.C. 10702 (repealed January 1, 1996).
(c) For the purposes of this part, the term household goods means personal effects and property used or to be used in a dwelling, when a part of the equipment or supply of such dwelling, and similar property if the transportation of such effects or property is:
(1) Arranged and paid for by the householder, including transportation of property from a factory or store when the property is purchased by the householder with intent to use in his or her dwelling; or
(2) Arranged and paid for by another party.
(d) For the purposes of this part service terms means all classifications, rules, regulations and practices that affect the rates, charges, or level of service for movements of household goods.
§ 1310.2   Requirement to maintain tariffs.
(a) Except when providing transportation for charitable purposes without charge, carriers subject to the Board's jurisdiction under Chapter 135 of Title 49 of the United States Code may provide transportation or service for movements of household goods only if the rates, and related rules and practices, for such transportation or service are contained in a published tariff that is in effect under this section. The carrier may not charge or receive a different compensation for the transportation or service than the rate specified in the tariff, whether by returning a part of that rate to a person, by giving a person a privilege, by allowing the use of a facility that affects the value of that transportation or service, or through another device. Tariffs shall be published in the English language and rates shall be stated in money of the United States.
(b) Tariffs maintained pursuant to this part must be available for inspection by the Board, and must be provided to the Board promptly and free of charge, upon request, by mail or other delivery service.
(c) A carrier that maintains a tariff pursuant to this part may not enforce the provisions of the tariff unless the carrier has given notice that the tariff is available for inspection in its bill of lading or by other actual notice to individuals whose shipments are subject to the tariff, as provided in § 1310.4 of this part.
(d) The Board may invalidate a tariff prepared by or on behalf of a carrier under this part if that tariff violates 49 U.S.C. 13702 or the regulations contained in this part.
§ 1310.3   Contents of tariffs.
(a) Tariffs prepared under this part must include an accurate description of the services offered to the public; must provide the specific applicable rates, charges and service terms; and must be arranged in a way that allows for the determination of the exact rate, charges and service terms applicable to any given shipment. Increases, reductions and other changes must be symbolized or highlighted in some way to facilitate ready identification of the changes and their effective dates.
(b) All information necessary to determine applicable rates, charges and service terms for a given shipment need not be contained in a single tariff, but if multiple tariffs are used to convey that information, the tariff containing the rates must make specific reference to all other tariffs required to determine applicable rates, charges and service terms. The carrier(s) party to the rate(s) must participate in all of the tariffs so linked and all such tariffs must be made available to shippers upon reasonable request.
§ 1310.4   Incorporation of tariff provisions by reference.
(a) Carriers that maintain tariffs pursuant to this part may incorporate the terms of such tariffs by reference (i.e., without stating their full text) into the bill of lading or other document embodying the contract of carriage for the transportation of household goods, provided that:
(1) The bill of lading or other document must contain a conspicuous notice that the contract of carriage incorporates the terms of the carrier's tariffs; the carrier must give notice that its tariffs are available for inspection in its bill of lading or by other actual notice to individuals whose shipments are subject to such tariffs; and the carrier must make the full text of incorporated terms readily available for inspection by the shipper, free of charge, upon request. If such terms cannot be made available immediately, they must be made available promptly and free of charge by mail or other delivery service.
(2) If the incorporated terms include any of the terms set forth in paragraphs (a)(2)(i) through (a)(2)(iii) of this section, the notice on the bill of lading or other document must indicate that such terms are included; the shipper must be provided with a brief summary of the principal features of such terms on or with the document; and the shipper must be able to obtain a more complete explanation of such terms upon request.
(i) Limits on the carrier's liability for loss, damage, or delay of goods, including fragile or valuable goods.
(ii) Claim restrictions, including time periods within which shippers or consignees must file a claim or bring an action against the carrier for its acts or omissions or those of its agents.
(iii) Rights of the carrier to impose monetary penalties on shippers or consignees, increase the price of the transportation, or change any terms of the contract.
(b) A carrier may not claim the benefit as against a shipper or consignee of, and a shipper or consignee shall not be bound by, any tariff term that is incorporated by reference under this section unless the carrier has complied with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) The disclosure requirements established by this section preempt any State requirements on the same subject, for tariff terms that are incorporated by reference into the bill of lading or other document embodying the contract of carriage for the transportation of household goods.
§ 1310.5   Availability of tariffs at carrier offices.
(a) Each carrier shall maintain, at its principal office, a complete set of its effective tariffs and those to which it is a party.
(b) Each carrier shall also maintain some or all of its tariffs at its other business offices, upon request. Carriers shall provide information regarding all locations where tariffs may be viewed.
(c) At all points where tariffs are maintained, they shall be made available for inspection by any person during the carrier's normal business hours. The tariffs shall be accessible and readable. The carrier shall also display, in a conspicuous place in those locations, a notice, in large print, which contains a statement that the tariffs are available for public inspection.
(d) At all other carrier business offices, the carrier shall display a notice advising the public of the location of the nearest available tariff. The notice shall be in large print and posted in a conspicuous place. In addition, the carrier shall, upon request, make its tariffs available at that location as soon as possible but not later than within 20 days, or provide the sought information orally if satisfactory to the requestor.
(e) Any publication referred to in a tariff must be maintained with that tariff.
(f) If any tariff maintained pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section has not been used for a substantial length of time, the availability of that tariff, including its reissues, may be discontinued at that office until such time as it is again requested. It shall then be made available within 20 days.
§ 1310.6   Furnishing copies of tariff publications.
(a) Copies of tariffs, specific tariff provisions or tariff subscriptions shall be provided upon request to any interested person.
(b) Except for providing to shippers the full text of tariff terms incorporated by reference into the bill of lading or other document embodying the contract of carriage for the transportation of household goods, as described in § 1310.4(a)(1), carriers may assess charges for furnishing copies of tariff publications to interested persons. If a charge is made, the charge must be reasonable, and identical for the same publications and delivery service.